Colonialism and Racism

The film excerpts in this theme show the devastating effects of European colonialist policies on Aboriginal peoples. They also show acts of racism in which Aboriginal peoples have been victimized in their relations with whites.

Excerpts

Forgotten Warriors

1

My Name Is Kahentiiosta

1

2

The Other Side of the Ledger: An Indian View of the Hudson's Bay Company

Description
On September 27, 1990, Kahentiiosta and other First Nations participants in the Oka crisis, were taken to the St. Jerome, Québec courthouse. Kahentiiosta recalls how she resisted intimidation by lawyers and a judge who demanded an English-Canadian name beside her Mohawk name for the court records.

Arrested after the 78-day armed standoff during the 1990 Oka crisis, Kahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman proud of her centuries-old heritage, is detained four days longer than the other women. Her crime? The prosecutor representing the Quebec government will not accept her aboriginal name. From the perspective of Kahentiiosta, we witness the arrest and detention of those who withdrew to the Treatment Centre after the Canadian Army advanced, and we learn why Kahentiiosta was prepared to die to protect the land and trees sacred to the Mohawk people of Kanehsatake.